Witch Tricks

by Sibéal Pounder

  ‘You can do it!’ Peggy’s sewn little face cheered.

  ‘She can’t,’ Francesca Fignettle’s sequin one sneered.

  ‘If you don’t get past this level,’ the Scarf Witch said, ‘then you all lose.’ She tapped an empty patch on the scarf. ‘I have a nice little spot for you here.’

  Tiga’s mind was racing. Why hadn’t they asked more witches to come with them? The Points were losing, but there were more of them – they were more likely to reach the top because they had a bigger team.

  Tiga began hitting her palm against her forehead.

  ‘You’d better think of a good song,’ the ghost witch whispered.

  Tiga wanted to tell her she was doing her best, but she was afraid to speak in case she ended up on the scarf.

  ‘You know, this scarf is surprisingly comfy,’ Fluffanora said.

  ‘Oh yes,’ came the voices from the scarf.

  ‘I HAVE ONE!’ Tiga cried. ‘It’s good.’

  They all stared at her. A tiny stitched thumbs up appeared beside Peggy’s face.

  ‘If I were a beeeee,

  I’d fly straight to Pearl Peak,

  And while on my way,

  There’s one thing I’d saaaaay …

  Buzz.’

  Tiga squeezed her eyes shut.

  ‘BRILLIANT!’ the ghost witch said with a buzz, and before Tiga knew it she was flying through the air.

  ‘WELL DONE, TIGA!’ she heard Fluffanora shout.

  ‘YOU CAN DO IT! YOU’RE ON TO THE NEXT LEVEL!’ Peggy cried.

  Tiga could feel the cats clinging to her legs.

  It was up to her now.

  Mavis’s Latest Jam Invention

  ‘HAPPY MORNING!’ Mavis cried to the gathering crowd. ‘And on this fine witchy day, I give you, for the first time ever – PEANUT JAM!’ She proudly thrust a jar in their faces.

  ‘Does it taste like peanut? You know, the nuts humans eat?’ a witch in the crowd shouted. ‘I’m allergic. Because anything touched by a human makes me vomit.’

  Mavis chuckled. ‘No, no. This jam is filled with strength and sparkle, like Peanut, the star of Fairy Fightz.’

  A relieved sigh rippled through the crowd.

  ‘I am never inspired by human flavours. I collaborated with the cake team at Cakes, Pies and That’s About It Really to create the flavour, which I’d compare to their pies, but with a dollop of that sweet glittery dust smell.’

  The crowd heaved forward, their arms outstretched. Sinkels flew everywhere.

  ‘One at a time, please!’ Mavis said. ‘One at a time!’

  A witch climbed over the stall and grabbed a jar.

  Another crowd-surfed to the front and dangled over, grabbing an armful. She was wearing a mask, exactly the same as Peanut’s.

  ‘I’M PEANUT’S BIGGEST FAN, I MUST GET AS MANY AS POSSIBLE BEFORE THEY SELL OUT! I DESERVE IT MORE THAN ALL THESE OTHER WITCHES!’

  Mavis tried to reason with the crowd.

  ‘Witches, please, there is plenty of jam for everyone – and more coming!’

  But it was getting out of control. Witches dived behind the stall, pushing Mavis out of the way. By the time the crowd had gone, there was nothing left on the stall at all, apart from a few of the aged jams, which no one really liked.

  Mavis slumped over her stall and stared at the gigantic pile of sinkels. ‘Thank you, the great and glorious Peanut.’

  ‘Wait, why is Peanut great and glorious?’ Fran said, buzzing over in her costume.

  ‘Oh, Fran!’ Mavis cried. ‘Your Fairy Fightz character is so popular.’

  Fran rolled her eyes. ‘Not you as well! Mavis, I’m not Peanut.’

  Mavis flashed Fran a knowing smile. ‘Oh, don’t worry, I know it’s just a character you play.’

  ‘But I DON’T play a character called Peanut,’ Fran said, but Mavis was already on a roll.

  ‘Fran, I made a jam inspired by Peanut and the whole town has gone crazy! I made more money in the last five minutes than I’ve made selling jam all year. They completely cleaned out my jam stall.’

  She stopped and her eyes grew wide.

  ‘Oh no!’ She dived behind the jam stall and emerged seconds later, her face pale.

  ‘They took a very important jam jar.’

  Fran’s beehive flopped.

  ‘Mavis,’ she said slowly. ‘I’ve just remembered something. Fluffanora did a temporary spell to make me forget. But it’s wearing off!’

  ‘Fran, this isn’t the time,’ Mavis said, pacing back and forth behind the jam stall, beads of worried sweat dribbling down her forehead.

  ‘I remember everything, Mavis!’

  ‘Very good, Fran, but I’m a little bus –’

  ‘WE DID FILM EPISODE ONE, PART ONE! CRISPY WASN’T LYING!’ Fran roared.

  Mavis stopped and stared at her. ‘That’s lovely, Fran. But if you don’t mind, I’m closing the jam stall, for the first time ever, as I need to locate a jam jar.’

  Fran buzzed in her face and stuck out her legs, lodging a foot in each of Mavis’s nostrils.

  ‘Not so fast, Mavis. My newfound memory has just thrown up something interesting that I think you’ll want to hear.’

  Mavis unplugged the fairy from her nose and set her down on the stall. ‘Make it quick.’

  ‘You’re worried the crowd have taken your Ritzy Six jam jar. The one with those evil witches inside – the one you’ve guarded for years.’

  Mavis’s mouth fell open.

  ‘I know,’ Fran said. ‘I’m impressive. You see, when I was in the forest, I stumbled upon a Points meeting. I pretended to fly away but I actually hid in the trees, and they had your jam jar. It wasn’t the crowd who took it, Mavis. Idabelle Bat did it – days ago.’

  Mavis began pacing again. ‘She came to see me with her friend Melodie, who is very interested in my cat jam jars.’

  ‘They freed the Ritzy Six, and then they ran off to Pearl Peak.’

  Mavis nearly vomited. ‘They’re going home. I must stop them!’

  She froze.

  ‘Peggy,’ she said quietly. ‘She was headed for Pearl Peak!’

  Fran’s face fell. ‘With my Tiga?’

  Mavis nodded gravely.

  ‘Then we will go and get them!’ Fran roared. ‘YOU, NORMAL MAVIS, AND ME, THE ALL-POWERFUL PEANUT!’

  Mavis groaned and began walking fast towards Pearl Peak.

  ‘MAVIS, YOU’RE THE SIDEKICK. I MUST LEAD! MAVIS …? MAVIS! WAIT FOR ME, MAVIS!’

  Mavis stormed on.

  ‘Actually, Mavis,’ Fran said quietly, ‘I think I might tell Felicity Bat. I’d rather she was my sidekick for this one. DID YOU HEAR ME, MAVIS? YOU’RE GETTING VERY CLOSE TO THE MOUNTAIN, MAVIS!’

  Gigantico!

  Crispy weaved through Brollywood, her nose wobbling as it always did when she was worried.

  She flew through the tiny window of Patricia the producer’s office and landed on her desk, doing the splits.

  Patricia the producer looked up from what she was reading and lowered her glasses. ‘Very impressive.’

  Crispy turned red in the face and couldn’t speak. She gestured at her body and then made a lifting motion.

  Patricia the producer lifted her out of the splits.

  ‘Thank you,’ Crispy mouthed.

  ‘What did you need to see me about so urgently, Crispy? I prefer witches and fairies to make appointments, rather than buzzing through my window.’

  ‘I can’t find her,’ Crispy said breathlessly, while trying to click one of her legs back into place. ‘Peanut is gone. Again.’

  ‘Well, surely she’s somewhere.’

  Crispy shook her head. ‘Episode two is about to start. The crowds have assembled. She’s not in her caravan, the show must go on without her!’

  ‘What do you propose we do?’ Patricia the producer asked.

  ‘I have an idea,’ Crispy said. ‘But I’m not sure you’re going to like it.’

  The crowd sat in silent anticipation as
Donna, sporting her little hairband with fists on springs, danced around the ring. Julie Jumbo Wings flapped overhead, muttering things about taking over the world and destroying Peanut once and for all.

  ‘BUT!’ came Crispy’s voice. ‘Peanut is an inventive little bean, and she has something big up her sleeve.’

  The ground began to rumble. The crowd fell silent.

  ‘SOOOOOMEEEETHIIIIIINNNNGGGGG GIIIIIIIIIGGGGAAAAANNNNTTTTTTIIIIC CCCCCOOOOOO!’ Crispy yelled, before leaning to the microphone and saying clearly, ‘That’s Gigantico. A new character called Gigantico.’

  Patricia the producer slinked on to set wearing a baggy jumpsuit with tassels along the arms. ‘I AM GIGANTICO,’ she said awkwardly. ‘And Peanut called me in to save the day today.’

  The crowd went wild! Someone’s sparkly jumpsuit pinged off and hit a fake rainbow hanging overhead. No one seemed to notice.

  Julie Jumbo Wings looked like she was going to have a heart attack.

  ‘Crispy,’ she hissed. ‘The new character is huge.’ She narrowed her eyes and gasped when she realised who it was. ‘And it’s my BOSS.’

  ‘Just do the scene as if she was Peanut,’ Crispy said.

  Julie Jumbo Wings hovered lower. ‘Crispy, one of the moves involves me swinging Peanut around my head.’

  ‘So?’ Crispy hissed as Gigantico stepped into the ring and crushed it.

  ‘I can’t swing her around my head. She’s huge, and my boss.’

  ‘Improvise,’ Crispy said before leaning into the microphone and chanting, ‘Gi-gan-ti-co! Gi-gan-ti-co!’

  Gigantico picked up Tiny Fists, who muttered something about wanting a raise, and chucked her into the crowd.

  The witches roared!

  ‘Gigantico is Peanut’s best friend, and together they are unstoppable!’ Crispy said. ‘Peanut is on holiday in the Cauldron Islands and sent Gigantico in her place – looks like it was a good move!’

  ‘GI-GAN-TI-CO! GI-GAN-TI-CO!’ the crowd chanted over and over again.

  RITZY CITY POST

  INTERVIEW WITH GIGANTICO!

  Reporter: What do you think your biggest strength is?

  Gigantico: The clue is in my name!

  Reporter: Ant?

  Gigantico: Pardon?

  Reporter: The word ant is in your name. Are ants something to do with your strength?

  Gigantico: No, it’s that I’m gigantic!

  Reporter: You’re shorter than me.

  Gigantico: Yes, but the rest of the cast of Fairy Fightz are fairy-sized.

  Reporter: That seems a bit unfair. It will be IMPOSSIBLE to defeat you.

  Gigantico: Yes … I’m worried about that. But I’m sure they’ll find a way. Hopefully quite soon so I can change out of this jumpsuit.

  Reporter: How will they defeat you?

  Gigantico: I don’t know yet … you’ll have to wait.

  Reporter: No, I don’t want to wait. Tell me immediately.

  Gigantico: No. Even if I did know, I couldn’t tell you – that would be a spoiler.

  Reporter: You’re a spoiler.

  Felicity Bat Finds Another Way

  Felicity Bat couldn’t hear a single word Fran was saying through the frantic wheezing.

  ‘Calm down,’ Felicity Bat said, sounding bored. ‘I’m sure whatever the problem is, it’s not actually a problem.’

  Fran stopped and held up a spoon. Fairy Fightz was showing.

  ‘I’m missing being the star,’ Fran wheezed. ‘That is how important this is.’

  ‘Oh, well, then it must be about Tiga,’ Felicity Bat said. ‘Go on, indulge me.’

  ‘Ritzy Six,’ Fran wheezed. ‘They’re back. Idabelle. Tiga. The mountain.’

  Felicity Bat rose up into the air and levitated over to the window, her heavy boot making her float at an odd angle.

  Fran pointed frantically. ‘They went inside the mountain, to stop the Ritzy Six.’

  ‘And my big sister brought them back,’ Felicity Bat said with a grin.

  ‘PLEASE DON’T TURN EVIL AGAIN!’ Fran wailed. ‘You’re the only one who can help. Mavis is on her way, but she’ll never even get past the Mean Lock.’

  Felicity Bat rolled her eyes. ‘I’m not going to turn evil again. Peggy’s well and truly squeezed that out of me with all the hugs and mushy notes she leaves around for me.’

  Fran glanced over at the table, where a note with Peggy’s bubble writing read YOU’RE AN AMAZING WITCH, FELICITY! NEVER FORGET IT!

  ‘Then why were you smiling when I told you about your sister bringing the Ritzy Six back?’ Fran asked.

  ‘Because Idabelle is so silly,’ Felicity Bat said. ‘I bet she thinks she can be friends with the Ritzy Six, or that they’ll share their powers. They’ll destroy her too.’

  ‘Well then, we should get going,’ Fran urged. ‘My … sidekick?’

  ‘NO,’ Felicity Bat said firmly.

  ‘You’ll easily get past the Mean Lock,’ Fran said, readjusting her beehive.

  ‘We’re not going inside the mountain like everyone else,’ Felicity Bat said, crossing her arms. ‘We’re going to levitate up the side.’

  ‘Can we do that?’ Fran asked. ‘Isn’t it very magic, with lots of rules and protection?’

  ‘Have you ever heard of the ancient jam stores near the top of Pearl Peak, Fran?’

  Fran nodded. ‘They closed them years ago.’

  ‘I’ve been reading about them recently. And every so often, a witch who could levitate would take the quick route up the side of the mountain to collect the jam. That was the only witch they let past their defences. Do you know who that witch was?’

  ‘Was she called Sally?’ Fran guessed. ‘There were a lot of Sallys in the olden days.’

  Felicity Bat’s face looked strained. ‘It was my gran, Fran. Celia Crayfish. I bet the defences would let me past too. We’re from the same family, so it’s my inheritance. And we can both levitate.’

  ‘It’s worth a try!’ Fran cheered.

  ‘But you can’t come with me,’ Felicity Bat said firmly. ‘You’d set off alarms. I must do this alone.’

  ‘But the glory,’ Fran said. ‘Do I still get some of the glory?’

  Felicity Bat took off her boot and placed it in front of Fran. ‘Better than glory, you get to babysit. I need you to watch my boot until I get back. BUT YOU MUST NOT LOOK INSIDE IT.’

  ‘All right,’ Fran said casually as she waved Felicity Bat off. ‘I won’t look …’

  Tiga Has a Problem

  Tiga crash-landed in a small, cave-like room. Little magical lanterns floated about the place and old jam jars littered the floor. There was no door or window. No way in and no way out. Another test. If she failed it, that was it – she and her friends would be trapped in Pearl Peak for ever. As embellishments on a scarf. Probably with Francesca Fignettle and Bertha Bram.

  It didn’t bear thinking about.

  She grabbed a lantern and walked around the room, stopping when she noticed something scratched into the wall:

  WELCOME TO LEVEL THREE! THE JAM GOT

  INTO THE JAM STORE,

  SO HOW DID IT GET OUT AGAIN?

  Tiga slumped in a sad little pile on the floor. ‘But how do I get out?’ she said quietly, just as a cackle came from behind her.

  ‘Looks like you’re the only one left,’ Idabelle Bat said as she stalked across the room to Tiga. ‘And I still have Melodie.’

  Melodie blew a bubble.

  ‘What happened to Catriona Catcat?’ Tiga asked.

  Idabelle shrugged. ‘We failed the buzzy witch song the first time around, so on our way back to that level I made Catriona Catcat come up with a brilliant song that would definitely pass the test. Then I stole it and she had no song to sing, so …’

  ‘She’s all made of beads and on a scarf,’ Melodie McDamp said.

  ‘And you came up with a good song, too, did you?’ Tiga asked Melodie.

  Melodie shrugged. ‘She seemed to like my rap.’

  Tiga edged tow
ards the wall as Idabelle got closer.

  ‘And now it’s just us,’ she said with a sinister grin. ‘Did you really think you’d reach the top before us? And even if you did, what were you going to do – take on the Ritzy Six all by yourself?’

  Tiga blinked. She hadn’t really thought that far ahead.

  Idabelle cackled. ‘No! I thought not.’

  ‘Well, it doesn’t matter,’ Tiga said. ‘We’re all stuck in this room – and if one of us figures out how to get out, then the others will see it and we’ll all get out. We’ll reach the top at exactly the same time!’

  Idabelle wandered over to the wall and began flicking jam jars out of the way.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Tiga asked, edging closer.

  Melodie blew a bubble, but this time it flew from her mouth and began floating over the jars. It stopped and popped above a particularly dusty one.

  Idabelle grabbed it and threw off the lid. ‘Of course,’ she said, holding up a key. Before Tiga knew what was happening, the key connected to the wall with a clang and Idabelle pulled at it. The wall opened like a zip! She kept going in a loop until one side of the room unzipped completely and fell away.

  They stood back and stared at the hole she had uncovered. The freezing wind whipped Tiga’s hat off. She leaned down to pick it up, feeling slightly relieved that even if she couldn’t beat the Ritzy Six, she could at the very least save her friends.

  Idabelle stared at the hole.

  ‘You know what, Tiga, you were right. We’ll all make it to the top now, at almost the exact same time. And you’ve played really well for such a young and inexperienced witch. Obviously you’ll never beat us or the Ritzy Six, but at the very least you deserve to have your friends back.’

  Idabelle gave Melodie McDamp a leg up and she climbed out of the hole. ‘It’ll just be a quick climb. Come on, Tiga, let me help you.’

  Tiga smiled and placed her foot in Idabelle’s hands.

  ‘Stick your head out of the hole,’ Idabelle said.